Skein holder with slideable biased pegs

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed a device for holding skeins of stitchery material under tension. A base member has a plurality of elongated slots for receiving movable pegs. A plurality of movable pegs are inserted into the plurality of slots, each slot having one peg inserted therein. A plurality of stationary pegs are mounted on the base member oppositely disposed and spaced, respectively, from the plurality of movable pegs inserted into the base member. A bias element is attached between each of the plurality of movable pegs and the base member for biasing each of the movable pegs toward one end of the slot in which it is located most remote from the respective oppositely disposed stationary peg whereby a skein of stitchery material, which may be placed around each of the movable pegs and the respective oppositely disposed stationary peg, is automatically held in tension at all times by the bias element to secure the skein to the pegs about which it is looped.

United States Patent Swatzell, Jr.

[ Sept. 3, 1974 SKEIN HOLDER WITH SLIDEABLE BIASED PEGS [76] Inventor: Jonathan Michael Swatzell, Jr.,

1430 Aires Ct., Chula Vista, Calif.

22] Filed: May 18,1973

21 Appl'. No.: 361,833

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1918 Blease et al 242/127 6/1951 Rabinowitz 242/127 Primary ExaminerLeonard D. Christian Attorney, Agent, or FirmRaymond L. Madsen [57] ABSTRACT There is disclosed a device for holding skeins of stitchery material under tension. A base member has a plurality of elongated slots for receiving movable pegs. A plurality of movable pegs are inserted into the plurality of slots, each slot having one peg inserted therein. A plurality of stationary pegs are mounted on the base member oppositely disposed and spaced, respectively, from the plurality of movable pegs inserted into the base member. A bias element is attached between each of the plurality of movable pegs and the base member for biasing each of the movable pegs toward one end of the slot in which it is located most remote from the respective oppositely disposed stationary peg whereby a skein of stitchery material, which may be placed around each of the movable pegs and the respective oppositely disposed stationary peg, is automatically held in tension at all times by the bias element to secure the skein to the pegs about which it is looped.

7 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures 9 "G I! 0 7 I! o: o 16 0: 18 o 1/ r:

PATENIEB 3E? SUEUINZ SKEIN HOLDER WITH SLIDEABLE BIASED PEGS The present invention relates to skein holders and more particularly to embroidery or stitchery thread holders or racks having slideable biased pegs about which the skeins are looped whereby the skeins are securely held under tension about the pegs.

In the field of embroidery and stitchery, it has been the general practice to employ holders or racks for holding skeins of different colored threads, the racks being so constructed that the threads supported thereon may be readily unwound from the skeins eliminating the possibility of the threads from the different skeins held thereon from becoming entangled during the unwinding operation. Although such devices have served the purpose, they have not proved entirely satisfactory under all conditions of service for the reason that considerable difficulty has been experienced in keeping the skeins securely held on the racks and difficulties encountered in adapting the racks to various skein loop lengths.

Those concerned with the development of skein holders have long recognized the need for a rack which would keep the skein loops securely attached to the rack under all conditions of loop size and thread unwinding. The present invention fulfills this need.

One of the most critical problems confronting designers of skein holders and embroidery thread racks has been the problem of securing the loops of the skein of yarn or thread to the racks andyet permit the easy removal and unwinding of the thread or yarn from the rack. The present invention overcomes this problem.

The general purpose of this invention is to provide a skein holder which embraces all the advantages of similarly employed embroidery stitchery racks and possesses none of the aforedescribed disadvantages. T attain this, the present invention contemplates a unique combination of a movable peg and a bias element whereby looseness of the skein loops and the accidental falling of skeins from the racks are avoided.

An object of the present invention is a provision of a skein holder which securely holds the skeins of yarn or thread which are of different lengths.

Another object is to provide a skein holder in which the skeins placed thereon are held under tension.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a skein holder or embroidery rack onv which the skeins of thread or yarn are automatically held under bias or tension regardless of variations in length.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the skein holder illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates the back view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of a movablepeg and its attachment hardware used in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 5a and 5b illustrate side and end views respectively of a wire spring used to bias the movable peg illustrated in FIG. 4 and used in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exploded view of an alternate movable and slideable peg for use with a biasing rubber band;

FIG. 7 shows a cut-away view of the movable peg of FIG. 6 mounted and biased by a rubber band in a slot in the holder of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 illustrates a pair of resilient plastic arms used to hold a skein of thread or yarn as an alternate to the pegs of the holder of FIG. 1.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a body member 16 has a row of parallel slots 9 located therein adjacent one side. One of a plurality of movable pegs 11 are located in each of the plurality of slots 9. Oppositely disposed from said plurality of slots is a row of pegs 13 located adjacent the other edge of body member 16, each stationary peg being located opposite a slot and movable peg. Skeins of thread 18 are illustrated in position around pegs 11 and 13. Pin cushion 20 is attached to body member 16 to hold the required needles and pins for stitchery or embroidery methods.

Turning now to FIG. 2, there is illustrated a side view of FIG. 1 showing the row of movable pegs 11 mounted in the slots of body member 16. Each movable peg 11 has a washer 15 and a screw 17 by which it is slideably secured in a slot in body member 16. v

FIG. 3 illustrates the back view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 showing the row of slideable pegs secured by washer 15 and screw 17 to body member 16. Each slideable peg is attached to spring 19 having one end thereof secured about screw 17 to the slideable peg and the other end of the spring 19 being secured to body member 16 by screw 21. A row of screws 23 is illustrated which penetrate body member 16 to secure the stationary row of pegs 13 in the position illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view of slideable peg 11 and its attaching hardware. Screw 17 passes through washer l5 and is secured into cylinder end 14 of peg 11. Shoulder 10 is located adjacent cylinder end 14. Cylindrical end 14 is located in slot 9 of FIG. 1, washer l5 and shoulder 10 being larger than slot 9 to slideably support peg 1 1 in slot 9. Peg l 1 further has a circumferential groove 12-at its other end into whichloose thread ends may be secured to prevent unwinding.

FIGS. 5a and 5b illustrate the bias spring 10 in a front and side view, respectively. In FIG. 5a, spring 19 is illustrated having a coil of turns 29, one end of the coil extending outwardly therefrom into a loop or hook 25 and the other end of the coil extending outwardly therefrom into a loop or hook 25 and the other end of the coil extending outwardly therefrom into a loop or hook 27. FIG. 5b is an end view which more clearly shows the coil turns 29 of spring 19 along with theend hooks or loops 25 and 27 respectively.

FIG. 6 shows an alternate peg 31 having circumferential slots 33 and 35 near the ends thereof to engage and hold the ends of a skein or thread or yarn which may be placed therein. One end has a shoulder 39 and a cylinder section 37 which fits into slot 9 on body member 16. Retaining wheel 41 has a central hole 43 therein which engages cylinder section 37 after being inserted into slot 9 to slideably hold the peg in the slot between shoulder 39 and retaining wheel 41. Retaining wheel 41 further has a peripheral groove therein to accept and hold a flexible band such as rubber which may be used to bias peg 31 in slot 9.

FIG. 7 illustrates peg 31 mounted in slot 9. A flexible band or rubber band 51 engages the groove of retaining wheel 41 and the peripheral groove 49 of a stationary wheel 47 fixedly attached to body member 16. Rubber band 51 biases peg 31 in slot 9 closest to stationary wheel 47.

FIG. 8 shows an alternate device for holding skeins of thread or yarn in the form of a pair of oppositely disposed resilient arms 53 having slots 61 therein to receive screws for adjustably attaching the arms to body member 16. Each arm has projecting member 57 extending angularly away from body member 16, the ends of the projecting members 57 being further distant than the bases thereof. Each projecting member further has a curved surface 59 therein to receive and hold skeins of thread or yarn that may be looped around the resilient arms.

Operation of the invention can best be described by turning to FIG. 1. A skein 18 of thread or yarn is looped around a pair of pegs 11 and 13 by moving slideable peg 11 to the end of slot 9 in body member which is closest to the stationary peg 13 and slipping the loops of the skein over pegs 13 and 11. When peg 11 is released, bias spring 19 forces peg 11 to the other end of slot 9 most remote from stationary peg 13, placing the loops of skein 18 under tension and securely holding it on pegs l3 and 11.

It is well known by those skilled in the art that embroidery threads are notorious for becoming entangled. This causes unnecessary time in finding loose ends and untying knots. By providing slots 9 in the base member 16, pegs 11 are slideably located therein allowing different sizes of embroidery thread skeins to be placed about peg 11 and 13. By attaching spring 19 to peg 11, there is always tension on the skein keeping it tight and easily unwindable with both ends of the skein easily readily obtainable. I

Alternate biasing devices are contemplated to provide tension for the skeins as illustrated in FIG. 7. Elastic or rubber band 51 replaces spring 19 in FIG. 3, and biases peg 31 most remote from the corresponding stationary peg in the slot on base member 16.

The resilient arms 53 of FIG. 8 provide a tension force on a skein held by curved surfaces 59 of projecting members 57. These arms may be made from plastic or a resilient metal. By adjusting the relative position of each resilient arm with respect to its corresponding arm, skeins of different length can be accommodated and desired tension forces can be applied to the skeins to hold them securely on the arms.

It should be apparent that the present invention provides a skein holder having slideably biased pegs thereon which may be employed in conjunction with securely holding skeins of thread or yarn regardless of the variations in size of the loops of each skein and the amount of unwinding to which the skein is subjected.

Although particular components, etc., have been discussed in connection with a specific embodiment of a skein holder constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, others may be utilized. Furthermore, it will be understood that although an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed and discussed, other applications and mechanical arrangements are possible and that the embodiments disclosed may be subjected to various changes, modifications, and substitutions without necessarily departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is: 1. A device for holding skeins of stitchery material comprising:

a base member having a plurality of elongated slots therein for receiving movable and slideable pegs; a plurality of slideable pegs for inserting into said plurality of slots in said base member, each slot having one peg inserted therein; a plurality of stationary pegs mounted on said base member oppositely disposed and separated, re-

spectively, from said plurality of slideable pegs inserted into said base member;

bias means attached between each of said plurality of slideable pegs and said base member for biasing each of said slideable pegs toward one end of the slot in which it is located most remote from the respective oppositely disposed stationary peg whereby a skein of stitchery material may be placed around of each of said movable pegs and said respective oppositely disposed stationary peg so that said skein is automatically held in tension by said bias means to secure said skein to the pegs about which it is looped.

2. The device for holding skeins of stitchery material described in claim 1 wherein said bias means is a wire spring.

3. The device for holding skeins of stitchery material described in claim 1 wherein said bias means is an elastic band.

4. The device for holding skeins of stitchery material described in claim 1 wherein each of said movable of stationary pegs has a circumferential groove for receiving and holding a loose end of said skein of stitchery material.

5. In a device for holding skeins of yarn and thread wherein the skeins are looped about a pair of pegs mounted on a base member and wherein one of the pair of pegs is adjustably located on the base member, the improvement comprising:

bias means attached between said base member and the one of the pair of pegs which is adjustably located thereon for keeping a skein of yarn and thread under tension when said skein is looped about said pair of pegs thereby securely holding said skein about said pair of pegs.

6. The improvement described in claim 5 wherein said bias means is a wire spring.

7. The improvement described in claim 5 wherein said bias means is an elastic band. 

1. A device for holding skeins of stitchery material comprising: a base member having a plurality of elongated slots therein for receiving movable and slideable pegs; a plurality of slideable pegs for inserting into said plurality of slots in said base member, each slot having one peg inserted therein; a plurality of stationary pegs mounted on said base member oppositely disposed and separated, respectively, from said plurality of slideable pegs inserted into said base member; bias means attached between each of said plurality of slideable pegs and said base member for biasing each of said slideable pegs toward one end of the slot in which it is located most remote from the respective oppositely disposed stationary peg whereby a skein of stitchery material may be placed around of each of said movable pegs and said respective oppositely disposed stationary peg so that said skein is automatically held in tension by said bias means to secure said skein to the pegs about which it is looped.
 2. The device for holding skeins of stitchery material described in claim 1 wherein said bias means is a wire spring.
 3. The device for holding skeins of stitchery material described in claim 1 wherein said bias means is an elastic band.
 4. The device for holding skeins of stitchery material described in claim 1 wherein each of said movable of stationary pegs has a circumferential groove for receiving and holding a loose end of said skein of stitchery material.
 5. In a device for holding skeins of yarn and thread wherein the skeins are looped about a pair of pegs mounted on a base member and wherein one of the pair of pegs is adjustably located on the base member, the improvement comprising: bias means attached between said base member and the one of the pair of pegs which is adjustably located thereon for keeping a skein of yarn and thread under tension when said skein is looped about said pair of pegs thereby securely holding said skein about said pair of pegs.
 6. The improvement described in claim 5 wherein said bias means is a wire spring.
 7. The improvement described in claim 5 wherein said bias means is an elastic band. 